"Alright, stop fooling around. Back to business. The key issue is this: judging by the Dark Faction's posture, they're really prepared to go all-in with us—mutual destruction if necessary. So where does their confidence come from? And who's helping them from the shadows?"
Lyla forced the discussion back on track.
They were talking about something deadly serious—so why was it that the moment Alise opened her mouth, the entire meeting's tone warped along with it?
"Yeah… those maniacs may not care about life and death, but they definitely want to win."
Kaguya frowned as well.
The Dark Faction weren't just insane. They were the kind of insane that still retained a certain rationality.
Otherwise, back when the two great familias still existed, they never would've behaved so obediently.
But lately, the Dark Faction had been moving with no attempt to hide at all—
as if they believed victory was already guaranteed.
At the start, the Ganesha Familia had simply found signs of large-scale Dark Faction activity, which was why they'd intensified patrols.
The women began discussing the situation they couldn't understand.
They had practically turned Orario inside out—yet still failed to locate the Dark Faction's main nest.
Sure, the Guild had to have an internal traitor—but inside Orario itself, there also had to be Dark Faction safehouses.
And not just one or two.
So where the hell were all those bases?
If they were truly loose, scattered hideouts, could the Dark Faction really coordinate and act as one, instead of fighting separately?
And even if they were loose hideouts—if there were that many, they shouldn't have been this hard to find.
On top of that, the Ganesha Familia's efforts weren't for nothing. They'd found one resource transfer station tied to the Dark Faction.
The supplies seized that single time alone were substantial—enough to fund a mid-sized familia's expedition into the Dungeon.
Which meant it was likely there were many more such sites. The Dark Faction had clearly prepared for a decisive battle—maybe even for a prolonged war.
But the question remained:
Who was providing them with that much in resources?
Those were supplies purchased with real money. Who would just hand that kind of wealth over for the Dark Faction to burn?
"Besides Orario's own Dark Faction cells… the most likely source of secret funding is merchants. Only they can move that much material. I asked about it, but I was told: don't investigate."
In Lyla's mind flashed the image of a bloated face, and disgust immediately twisted her expression.
They adventurers had already recognized the danger and were readying themselves for a showdown.
If it raised their odds, they were willing to hold onto only the bare minimum of bottom lines.
But the Guild didn't see it the same way.
From the Guild's perspective, Orario still hadn't suffered any concrete damage.
So maybe the adventurers' alarm was exaggerated—maybe it was just panic.
And because of that, the Guild refused to cut off merchant connections between Orario and the outside world.
The Guildmaster—that filthy elf even Riveria couldn't stand—kept insisting that making money was necessary to keep the Guild operating.
If they blocked free trade, it would cause problems ranging from merchants' livelihoods to the city's economy itself.
And so, no matter what, he refused to temporarily close the trade routes.
Is this really the time to care about that?
It was infuriating.
And because of that stubbornness, merchants had been able to transport so many supplies into Orario.
At this point, even closing the trade routes wouldn't matter anymore.
The Dark Faction's needed material had likely already been delivered into the city.
Whether it became a war of attrition or a decisive clash, it was going to be brutal either way.
And in Lyla's heart, an even uglier conclusion was forming—
Those merchants probably believed the Dark Faction would win. That was why they were willing to fund them at such cost.
So what exactly was the Dark Faction's true trump card?
Something that could make profit-chasers bet so heavily…
Did that trump card mean even Ottar couldn't win?
"In any case, we have to cast aside all doubts and protect everyone's smiles! For that goal, we'll keep fighting—no matter what!"
Alise delivered the meeting's closing summary.
Even if the enemy was overwhelmingly strong, even if they couldn't yet find the angle to strike—
as long as they kept fighting, the road would keep extending.
So justice couldn't stop!
"There are countless forms of justice in this world. One of them exists here with us—so everything we do is not wrong."
Astraea nodded in affirmation.
Alise was the captain she had chosen—and the one who carried the hottest, most fervent justice.
"Astraea-sama approves of us too! Then we'll do the usual—tomorrow we keep giving it our all, okay?!"
At that, the others exchanged glances.
"Do we really have to do that again? Every time I feel like I'm dying of embarrassment…"
Lyla grimaced, whispering to Kaguya at her side.
"I feel the same… but there's nothing I can do."
Kaguya looked equally helpless.
It was the Astraea Familia's oath.
The first part was only recited by Alise, but even just listening to it was plenty mortifying.
They'd complained about it for years—some even filed complaints with Astraea herself.
If it couldn't be abolished, then at least it should be shorter.
Unfortunately, every protest ended the same way: Alise ignored them completely.
And to this day they still couldn't get used to it—only surrender to it again and again.
"What are you talking about? I've never thought that ceremony was embarrassing!"
Ryuu said righteously.
If her face hadn't been bright red while she said it, it might've sounded more believable.
Under everyone's gaze, Alise first dragged the eavesdropping Cid into the meeting room.
He could skip the meeting—but not this.
Even if he was about to leave the Astraea Familia, he wasn't escaping the proper rituals.
Alise led the oath, solemnly swearing before their goddess:
"Fulfill our mission! Set the scales right! Until we fall and become stars! Run alongside the heavens, and let the earth be studded with traces of starlight!"
"We swear upon the Sword and Wings of Justice!"
"We swear upon the Sword and Wings of Justice!" ×11
...
That night, Alise knocked on Cid's door.
When he opened it, he found her holding a pillow.
"My dear sister… you're not seriously planning to sleep in here tonight, are you?"
Cid immediately regretted opening the door.
Fortunately, he'd hidden all the tools he'd made in time.
"It's been forever since I slept with you, Cid! Hurry up, let me in!"
Alise pushed right into the room, heart pounding.
Even though Cid had grown up, she still came into this room often. To her, it held no secrets.
But the little brother who could share a bed when they were kids…
couldn't, once he grew up.
If Cid weren't leaving soon, Alise wouldn't have been able to be this bold.
Cid closed the door behind him without making a sound.
If he were acting like a random extra as usual, he'd be blushing and trying to kick her out.
But not today.
He rarely saw Alise like this.
"Are you under a lot of pressure right now, Sis?"
Cid still remembered: when she was little, she experimented with magic and nearly blew up their familia base—her expression back then looked a lot like it did now.
"You really can't hide anything from you, can I…"
Alise's tense expression softened.
After fidgeting for a moment, she shook Cid's arm lightly.
"Ciiid~"
"Fine, fine… can't you go to Astraea-sama for this sort of thing?"
Cid rolled his eyes, sat on the edge of the bed, and patted his thigh.
Alise lay down sideways with her head in his lap, closing her eyes in open, greedy contentment.
After Cid left, there might not be another chance like this.
A life you took for granted in the past…
didn't mean it would continue in the future.
-------
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